Mitias Orthopaedics, PLLC, it’s owner Dr. Hanna “Johnny” Mitias, and a subsidiary Champion Orthopedics, have agreed to pay $1,870,714.83 to resolve allegations the orthopedic health services providers knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid, the Department of Justice announced this week.
“Taxpayers deserve to receive the products and services billed to their federal health insurance programs. The viability of Medicare and Medicaid is threatened by each wasted dollar. Our people come before profits,” said United States Attorney Clay Joyner. “This settlement sends a clear message that the Department of Justice will hold healthcare providers accountable if they knowingly overbill federal healthcare programs.”
Between Jan. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2015, Mitias and his clinics allegedly submitted false claims to the Medicare and Medicaid programs for brand name viscosupplementation agents for knee injections that were not administered to the beneficiaries of those programs. Rather, a much cheaper, compounded viscosupplementation agent was alleged to have been used and, as a result, the defendants improperly claimed compensation for the higher priced products.